Joining the festivities of this 2019 Japan Day celebration are the students of the legendary dance master artist Mme. Fujima Kansuma who is truly a pioneer in bringing Japanese classical dance to the United States.

Mme. Fujima studied with the great Kabuki actors of the pre World War II era in Japan and as a young girl brought back to the U.S. never before seen costumes and dances to the Issei audiences. During the War years here in the U.S. she used her dance as a means to inspire and encourage her fellow internees.

She has been recognized by the government of Japan for her cultural contributions and is a recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship. Most recently in 2018 she was honored by the Smithsonian, NEA, and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center celebrating her 100th birthday!

This century old dancer, teacher, choreographer and cultural icon has maintained the Soke Fujima School of Classical Dance in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles for over 80 years. Mme was born right here in San Francisco and has fond memories of dancing at the San Francisco World Fair in 1939. She is happy to be back home to present her students at this years Japan Day Celebration.

Tamagusuku Ryu Senju Kai Frances Nakachi Ryubu Dojo, a Ryukuan or Okinawan Dance Academy in Hawaii which was established 22 under the direction of Frances Nakachi Kuba Sensei. Their mission is promoting, preserving and perpetuating over 500 years of rich Ryukyuan culture and traditions through dance.

Through their heartfelt artistry, they strive to enrich lives, inspire hope and bring joy to the community one dance at a time. The academy is dedicated to cultivate and nurture individual talents and potentials, bridge communities and build everlasting friendships and family. 

Thank you from the bottom of their hearts for the opportunity to share the Ryukyuan culture.  We look forward in working together in sharing this culture of joy and building everlasting friendships.  

The Dojo is located at Manoa Japanese Language School in Honolulu and welcomes new students throughout the year.   Currently, there are students ranges from 3 to 79 years young.  Feel free to stop by for a free trial class. 

For more information about the dance academy, visit www.senjukaihawaii.com

Tsukasa Taiko is a program of Asian Improv aRts Midwest that offers taiko drum instruction, education, and performances. Its mission is to preserve, develop, and pass on the traditional concepts of Japanese art as a cultural legacy, while also expanding and evolving the art of taiko. 

As a community group dedicated to understanding and strengthening Japanese American, Asian American, and Japanese identities, Tsukasa Taiko respects tradition while developing artistic excellence and connoisseurship. Nevertheless, Tsukasa Taiko’s programs are open to all. Its student and performing groups are composed of a range of ages from toddlers to grandparents, as well as representing an array of ethnicities. Tsukasa Taiko offers year round group music classes, private lessons, and a variety of special workshops for traditional Japanese musical instruments, including taiko, shamisen (3-stringed lute), and shinobue (bamboo flute) to all ages and skill levels.

As an active performing group, Tsukasa Taiko presents over fifty shows a year, both locally and internationally. Tsukasa Taiko offers classes, workshops, lectures, and demonstrations designed to teach how to play taiko, as well as to advance the understanding of the cultural arts as a reflection of a community’s heritage and legacy. It works closely with schools, companies, and corporations to provide special performances and presentations on the history of taiko and Japanese music. Tsukasa Taiko’s popular performing ensemble maintains an active local, national, and international performance schedule, including such prestigious venues as the Contemporary Museum of Art, the Steppenwolf Theater, the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Symphony Center, the Smithsonian, and the Malta International Theater Festival in Poland. 

Tsukasa Taiko’s director, teachers, and staff are all dedicated professionals, recognized as world class, working artists. Director Tatsu Aoki is a world renowned, highly respected performing musician, composer, and recording artist, who works in traditionally based Japanese music as well as experimental and jazz idioms. Guest artist Noriko Sugiyama has returned to Chicago from Japan, having been granted a performing visa to work with Tsukasa Taiko. With its strong leadership and aesthetic vision, Tsukasa Taiko is positioned to further expand and advance Japanese art in Chicago, and to develop as a cultural beacon for the future.

Learn more at https://www.taikolegacy.com/

Melody Takata is Festival Director of Japan Week and the founder of GenRyu Arts. She is a multi-faceted artist trained in Japanese Classical Dance, Taiko and Shamisen.  Sensei Takata has been performing for over 20 years in Japan and U.S.A.  Takata grew up in the Japanese American community of Los Angeles with a rich experience in traditional arts. From age 8 she learned odori (Japanese dance) at the Nishi Hongwanji as part of the obon festival ritual (festival honoring ancestors).  At age 10 she began formal study of Nihon Buyo (formal name for Japanese classical dance) at the Fujima School and has performed dance at numerous theater works under Madame Fujima Kansuma until age 20.  From age 13 to 18 she studied shamisen with the Kineya School.  At 15 she began studying and performing with Los Angeles Matsuri and at 20 traveled to Japan to study and later perform as a member of Tokyo’s O Edo Sukeroku Taiko, one of Japan’s most highly renowned taiko ensembles. Ms. Takata completed the ACTA master apprentice program for 2002-2003 on shamisen with Hideko Nakajima Sensei.  Most recently, Ms. Takata has reestablished study with Madame Fujima Kansuma in Los Angeles to strengthen her integrity of Nihon buyo and to ensure a high standard of integration of odori into Gen Taiko’s repertoire.

Tatsu Aoki is a prolific composer, musician, filmmaker, and educator. Based in Chicago, Aoki works in a wide range of musical genres, ranging from traditional Japanese music, jazz, experimental and creative music. Aoki studied experimental filmmaking at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is currently an adjunct Full Professor at the Film, Video and New Media Department, teaching film production and history courses. To this date, Aoki has produced and appears in more than 90 recording projects and over 30 experimental films.www.tatsuaoki.org

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